Nicholas Hawken

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}}

File:Nicholas Hawken MLC, sketch in the Sydney Evening News 10 April 1899.jpg

Nicholas Hawken (1 January 1836 – 13 July 1908) was an English-born Australian politician.{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr Nicholas Hawken (1836-1908) |id=701 |former=Yes |accessdate=4 July 2015}}

Hawken was born at St Austell in Cornwall to William Hawken and Phillipa Harding. He was educated locally and migrated to New South Wales in 1854, working in the Shoalhaven area. In 1855 he settled in Sydney, going into business as a produce merchant. On 24 July 1861 he married Mary Jane Vance. They had thirteen children, the eleventh of whom was the engineer Roger Hawken (1878–1947).{{cite web|last1=Trollope|first1=D.H.|title=Hawken, Roger William Hercules (1878–1947)|url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hawken-roger-william-hercules-6602/text11369|website=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|accessdate=2 January 2016}}

A long-serving Darlington alderman, Hawken was mayor from 1881 to 1883. In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for Newtown. He served until his defeat in 1891. In 1899 Hawken was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council, where he served until his death and was reportedly a "ready and forcible debater".{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114754204 |title=Death of Mr. Hawken, M.L.C. |newspaper=Empire |location=Sydney, NSW |date=13 July 1908 |accessdate=2 January 2016 |page=3 }} For example, in 1890 he had made a spirited defence in Parliament of the new and controversial sculptures on Sydney's General Post Office.{{Cite news|url = https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13787598|title = The Legislative Assembly|date = 17 December 1890|work = The Sydney Morning Herald |location = NSW|access-date = 1 November 2015|page = 5}}

Hawken died at his home "The Gables" in City Road, Darlington in 1908, leaving "a number of literary productions", among which were some verse and some works on political subjects.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28147507 |title=Death of Mr. N. Hawken, M.L.C. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=NSW |date=14 July 1908 |accessdate=2 January 2016 |page=6 }} His estate was valued for probate at £14,650.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45023917 |title=Late Nicholas Hawken's Estate |newspaper=The Barrier Miner |location=Broken Hill, NSW |date=14 September 1908 |accessdate=2 January 2016 |page=4 }} The surviving remains of one of his firm's buildings, the Hawken and Vance Produce Exchange, are listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register.{{cite NSW SHR|5045258|Hawker & Vance Produce Exchange|hr=00409|fn=S91/00640 & HC 31211|accessdate=13 October 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2423851 | title=Former "Hawken & Vance Produce Exchange" (95-99 Sussex St) Façade & Ext. Form | publisher=Office of Environment and Heritage | work=State Heritage Inventory | accessdate=17 December 2018}}